STRQ
by InRainville
Summary: races the fall of Team STRQ from their graduation onward. Ongoing work; reviews and feedback appreciated!
1. Morning

Raven woke all at once, as she always did, her brief trip to the warm dark replaced with sharp light and a scan for anything that might harm her. She instinctively reached for her sword...

...and her hand found nothing, as it always had for the past four years at Beacon. Their room was quiet except for birdsong coming in through an open window. The morning air was cool but not cold, and there were no Grimm here, no magistrates, nothing to fear.

Just the warmth of the blankets and Summer, curled up next to her.

She slid out of the narrow bed, doing her best to leave the other woman undisturbed. Moving to the middle of the room, she stretched silently, and began her morning routine. Summer was still asleep when she returned from the showers, snoring softly. She stood in front of the room's full-length mirror, putting on her combat uniform: tunic and skirt, boots and gauntlets, the greatsword at her side. She reached up to tie her hair behind her and...

"Still the best hair in the world! Nothing else even comes close." Warm arms briefly encircled her, and she felt the pressure of a face against her back before Summer was suddenly in front of her, hogging the mirror and fussing with her bangs.

"You're the reason I've kept my hair this short, you know," she sighed. "When your partner has a mane that looks like that, there's just no point in competing. So the only option I have left is to go super cutesy; don't you feel bad for what you've done to me?"

Raven blushed. "I've told you before, this is just how women in my family wear it. It's nothing special..."

Summer blew a raspberry, and finished squirming in to her own combat dress. "'Nothing special,'" she mocked, her chirp of a voice dropping down to mimic Raven's. "Four years here, I still have to tell you over and over how completely amazing you are. Raven Branwen, first member of her tribe to attend Beacon Academy! Brother of the fabulous Qrow! Beloved of the godlike Adonis that is Tai! Partner of me! Powerhouse member of STRQ, the greatest team this school has ever seen! Say cheese!"

Raven's expression didn't even have a chance to shift out of bemusement before Summer was posed next to her, fully dressed, holding her weapon in one hand and a small camera in the other, snapping a quick photo of the two of them in the mirror.

"Oooh, good one!" Summer observed, looking at the camera's small rear display before tossing it over to Raven. Raven took a moment herself to appreciate the picture: Summer with her head cocked, lips pouting, hood framing her head perfectly, backed up to the taller Raven who couldn't help but seem imperious and imposing in comparison. It was a good summary of their partnership, Raven thought - complete opposites who came together to make a pleasing whole.

"Here, you need your strength and the guys are waiting for us downstairs." Summer suddenly threw a protein bar towards Raven, followed by a water bottle; only years of honed Huntress reflexes stopped them from hitting her in the face. She trailed Summer out into the hall, where women from other teams were starting to slowly stumble out of their rooms.

"Did you hear they're going to make the dorm rooms co-ed next year?" Summer asked, heading down the stairs. "Like, everybody from the same team in the same room, no worrying about boys or girls or anything. Wow! Can you imagine the orgies we would have had?"

Raven coughed up some of the water she'd been drinking, but avoided an outright spit-take. Summer laughed, reversed her direction down the stairs and hugged Raven again, burying her head in the taller woman's abdomen before continuing down. "Kidding! Kidding! I know, the twin thing, and you Branwens are total prudes on top of that. You've barely even let Tai kiss you, and you guys have been together for years!"

"It's..." Raven struggled to keep her place in Summer's nonstop monologue. "It's just not how we do things..."

"I know." Summer stopped again just before the building entrance; they could hear Taiyang and Qrow goofing around on the lawn just outside, but weren't in eyesight of them yet. "I know, propriety, and honor, and everything else. I'm just teasing. And I want you to know..." Her voice quieted down, and she reached out to take Raven's hands in both of hers. "I'm glad you've made room for... us... these past four years. I know I don't fit into the Branwen way of thinking, like, at all, but you and I, it's been so important to me and I'm going to miss it so much when it's over..."

"Summer..." Raven swallowed. "I... it's..."

Summer brought Raven's hands to her mouth and kissed them, then looked up at her, and laughed. "It's not like we're never gonna see each other again, though! Tai and I have been talking about that, you know, and we've got some ideas to tell you about tonight. We've just got to get through this one last thing first!" She jumped up and down, twice, in excitement. "It's gonna be epic!"

Summer reached out, hesitantly, toward Summer, but she was already out the door, sprinting out across the lawn screaming "Qroooooow!" before hurling herself at the man, knocking him down and giving him a long, firm kiss on the cheek.

"Argh, Summer, get off, you're messing up my hair..." Qrow was on his feet almost immediately, Summer having been scoped up by Tai and tossed high in the air, repeatedly, while she squealed in delight. Qrow smoothed back his hair and straightened his clothes, but smiled as he did it; Tai placed a still-giggling Summer on the ground and put an arm around Raven's waist as she stood next to him.

"You guys ready?" he asked, as they formed a circle facing inward.

"Yep!"

"Definitely."

Raven merely nodded, looking Tai square in the eyes; he nodded, smiled, and pulled out his flip phone.

"Professor Ozpin, we're on our way."

As one, the team turned and started walking towards the airfield. As they moved, underclassman pointed and whispered to each other, while other fourth-year teams yelled out recognition and encouragement. Summer bounced ahead, waving and yelling back, while Qrow smirked and looked straight ahead, not deigning to make eye contact with anyone.

"So... after this is over, tonight, I was thinking the four of us could go out to dinner..." Tai began, before Raven cut him off with a shake of her head.

"Summer said something about that, but let's keep ourselves focused on the test."

"Sure, but... come on, it's us! Whatever Ozpin's got planned for our final exam, it's nothing we can't handle. We should look forward to what we're gonna do once we get our Huntsman licenses and..."

Her sword was out, the point resting on his cheek, before he could twitch.

"Focused. On. The. Test."

He stood still, calm, and waited for her to sheath the blade before following her as she strode ahead.

"There are easier ways to let me know you're frustrated, y'know."

She snorted with laughter, but kept moving forward towards Ozpin, leaning on his cane, and the waiting helicopter beyond.


	2. First Briefing

"It's a standard search and destroy mission," Ozpin spoke from the center passenger seat of the helicopter. Both side doors were open as they hurled over the wilds outside of Vale, and strong winds thrashed everyone's clothes as they hung on to restraining loops... except for Ozpin, who remained serene and unmoving, no different here than at his desk at Beacon.

"Standard except for...?" Tai turned back to face Ozpin, after having been almost leaning out of the chopper, scanning the ground for Grimm. "We've gone through nearly a dozen search-and-destroys by now, there has to be more than that for our final licensing exam."

Ozpin gave the slightest smile, but remained unmoving. "The measure of a Huntress or Huntsman is not always in the unusual size or nature of the Grimm they face, but the skill and speed with which they accomplish their task. Or perhaps there will be something... unique today, and it would defeat the purpose of the exercise by telling you in advance what it is. Indeed, there are many possible metrics by which one could evaluate Huntsman candidates, and I am quite certain we have never told students what we specifically look for. Merely perform to the best of your abilities, and hope that you pass."

Raven rolled her eyes, impatient to get past the Headmaster's posturing and to her missions for the day.

"Just let us know when to get off, we'll handle the rest!" Summer yelled over the wind, eyes still scanning the trees below. Qrow was similarly focused, but Raven could imagine him grunting in agreement.

"And indeed, I see that we are over the test area already," Ozpin replied. "Out you go! Your test commences now and ends when you report to the checkpoint area at the town to the south; we certainly hope to see you there before sundown, with all Grimm in the area eliminated."

"You're not landing?" Qrow asked, grinning, already aware of the answer.

"Of course not. You all survived an equally long fall at the very beginning of your time here; we expect at least as much from you now."

"Team STRQ! See you down below," Tai yelled, falling backward, giving two thumbs-up as he left the airship. Qrow was immediately behind him, and Summer followed a second after, her cloak somehow wrapping tight around her rather than acting as a parachute.

Raven stood to her full height, which required leaning her head out of the doorway. She took one long glance at Ozpin, who looked back at her calmly, then looked back down at the ground and dove down, headfirst.

She allowed herself to free fall for a few moments, remembering the first time she'd done this at the beginning of her Beacon training. She'd been so focused on finding Qrow, so certain that her semblance would put her right on top of him, that she'd been literally dumbfounded when the first thing she saw upon touching the ground was Summer's silver eyes. The girl had latched on to her, figuratively and physically, and led her through their first mission together with Raven still scrambling to catch up. Only dumb luck had put her and Summer on the same team as Qrow and his new partner, Tai.

And now working with Summer was second nature. She focused for a moment and sliced at the air in front of her with her sword, immediately falling down through the blood-red portal that appeared. On the other side she came out parallel to the ground, downward momentum instantly transformed into horizontal speed which she turned into a long, circular skid that brought her to rest facing Summer.

Summer's affect changed entirely when in combat; the bubbly, cuddly girl became a silent and ruthless Huntress who communicated largely in sign. Then again, after all these years they barely had to talk; as soon as they established they didn't see Tai or Qrow, they were off searching, Raven running through the trees and Summer dashing from branch to branch above.

They hit some Beowolves before finding the others - literally, since they were moving too quickly for the creatures to detect them before their attacks landed. Summer used her usual attack with Needle, her lance/sniper rifle hybrid, ramming into her enemies using semblance speed, usually completely tearing through them and coming out clean on the other side as they vaporized behind her. Raven's running sword strikes were less showy and slightly slower, but no less lethal.

Shortly after that they found themselves at a clearing, finding Tai and Qrow who'd clearly also come across - and quickly dispatched - their own Grimm.

"Good to see you, team," said Tai, showily stretching his arms to ready for more combat. "Let's get this done quick: everybody scatter in the cardinal directions, run out about two, three kilometers, and then quarter circle clockwise before returning back here. Take out anything small you see on the way, but don't be afraid to make a ruckus - we'll draw in anything else we don't immediately kill, and take it all on, together, as a team."

"Reckless," observed Raven, not arguing so much as providing a counterpoint to Tai's plan. "Ozpin probably does have some surprises for us lined up; we could end up running across something dangerous with no backup, or have a horde approaching from all directions when we reunite."

Tai grinned in response. "I don't think it's anything we can't handle... and I'd rather find out what we're dealing with sooner rather than later. I think you're right - Ozpin's got something planned that he thinks will catch us if we're reckless. Let's show him we're strong enough to burst through his trap, no matter what it is."

Summer remained silent, but Raven could see Qrow grinning at Tai's proposal. Raven shrugged, then made eye contact with Qrow. Even after all this time, she doubted Tai or Summer would have been able to tell that she'd just wordlessly instructed Qrow to meet up with her in the forest, after they scattered. And indeed, without another word they all started running away from the clearing, Tai to the north, Raven to the south, Qrow to the east and Summer to the west.


	3. Second Briefing

She ran out perhaps half a kilometer before turning towards the east, and within a minute heard something moving towards her; she jumped upwards, kicking from tree to tree until she found herself on a high branch with good visibility, and Qrow crouched next to her.

"This is a bad idea," Qrow objected before she could even speak. She glared at him, took a moment, and responded.

"We have a duty to perform. No matter if we have the licenses or not, we've already proven ourselves as Huntsmen, but the tribe demands we prove we can defeat Huntsmen as well. And this is a perfectly good opportunity, accidents happen all the time on missions like this..."

"It's a terrible opportunity," Qrow interrupted. "First, they're so trusting that we prove nothing by killing them here. You could probably walk up to Summer, tell her you were going to shoot her with her own weapon, and she'd think it was all a joke until the moment the bullet actually hit her. And even then she'd probably think it was an accident! Second, this is an idiotic time to do it - we don't know what Ozpin has planned, and whatever Tai says, it's probably better that all four of us are together to fight it."

"And third..." he stopped for a moment then looked back up with anger in his eyes. "After all this time, you're still on this? These people are our friends and teammates, and they care about us, even though they shouldn't. You really want to kill them just to show off to the Tribe? Just because Grandmother told you to?"

Outwardly she glared at him, while inwardly her heart skipped a beat. Everything Qrow said was true, and she'd been having the same doubts about the tactical wisdom of this plan. (Even as part of her just wanted to get it OVER WITH already...) And even though she'd trained Qrow over the years by punishing him every time he argued emotion instead of tactics, he still felt strongly enough about this to push back about it now.

She was honest enough with herself to accept that Qrow wasn't the only one who felt this way. But she still didn't like being contradicted, even if she'd been counting on him to do just that.

"They 'care' about us. And that only goes one way, right? You certainly don't 'care' about Tai, do you? You're not staring at him when he thinks you're not watching, not jumping at any chance to get shirtless with him, wrestle with him..."

"That's... it's not..." Qrow blushed and looked down as she continued.

"Of course you don't have those feelings about him! Because you know that it's evil, and you remember what Grandmother said happens to perverts when they die, which of their body parts the Grimm chew on first in the after-realms..."

"Enough!" His voice raised, louder than either of them was comfortable with in a stealth situation like this, but he was clearly enraged by her words. "It's not like that, and Grandmother's a fool! Plus..." he paused, then charged ahead, past truths he'd kept hidden until now. "It... it's not just me, is it? I've seen you looking at Summer, and she's always hugging you, leaning against you... I know she sleeps in your bed some nights, and you're not pushing her out. You can't tell me you don't 'care' about her!" He spat the last words out.

Raven shrugged, but could feel herself blushing as she looked away. "Summer's just a foolish girl. I certainly can't control what she does without ruining her effectiveness as a combat partner. And she's still got a silly crush on you, of all people, can't even see the way you look at Tai! But..." she looked up at Qrow, who was still staring at her angrily.

"But I suppose your arguments have merit. Now's not the right time, and these aren't the right targets. We'll be done with them soon enough, and if Grandmother's waited four years for our first kills, she can wait a little while longer." She nodded, to herself as much as anyone. "Ok, back to Tai's plan. We'll talk more about this later."

Qrow said nothing, just gave one final glare then jumped down from the branch, running back the way he came. Raven took a moment to realize how quickly her own heart was beating, then headed back on track herself, searching for Grimm, focusing only on the simpler tasks of killing literal monsters.


	4. Battle

At the start of the team, Raven had been skeptical of Taiyang's leadership position. He'd seemed far too immature and not nearly serious enough about life-and-death matters. Even his combat had seemed weak - he had no weapon, just a pair of unpowered gauntlets.

Yet over time she'd been won over, despite how desperately eager she was to assure herself that the Huntsmen were easy prey. When he fought, Tai rarely got hit. His seemingly puny strikes (which weren't nearly as puny as they looked, she later learned in sparring practice) always connected with his enemy's weak points, bringing them down much faster than people with far more impressive weapons and fighting styles. His leadership style always seemed to steer people - including herself - right where he needed them without making it obvious he was in charge. And just as Tai's fighting style hit just at the right place, STRQ hit just where they needed to following his lead.

So it wasn't a surprise how well Tai's plan worked today. As she sliced through half of the Grimm she encountered on her route while hearing the other half following close behind her, Raven felt her usual grudging respect for someone who wasn't of the tribe. Tai's plan would lead to something brutal when STRQ came back together, but it was an effective way to clear the area.

Summer was already at the clearing when Raven came in second. She arrived in time to see Summer finish dispatching the last of the Grimm already there, then watched her turn, without a second of hesitation, to start sniping at the Grimm flooding in behind Raven. Ordinary ammo and weapons weren't usually enough to take out Grimm with one shot, but the custom rounds used in Needle, combined with Summer's killer accuracy, dropped Raven's pursuit with a perfect, regular cadence.

Indeed, when Raven finally reached Summer's position, nothing was left... or so she thought, before a roar and a rumble in the trees resolved into a Death Stalker pounding towards them on a half-dozen legs. She glanced over at the other woman, who nodded, grinned slightly, then disappeared in a cloud of cream-colored petals, using her semblance to fly towards the monster.

Raven had been fighting on her own for nearly a decade before arriving at Beacon, so it'd taken her some time to learn how to delay her attacks to sync up with her teammates, rather than attacking as quickly as possible. Now it was second nature, and she made herself wait the necessary moments by thinking of Summer herself, her petite form turned into a kind of gorgeous bullet. It made her smile.

In fact, thinking of Summer made her delay her attack a split second longer than she should have, and she almost missed her part of the combo. As soon as Summer hit a sensitive spot of a large Grimm, piercing it with Needle, she fired the gun part of the weapon, the high-powered rounds tearing the creature apart inside. Before it could react Summer was supposed to detach and speed away to a safe location - but not before Raven could appear where Summer had used her weapon, hitting with her sword to add damage on top of damage before portaling away again to Summer's new location.

Few creatures could stand more than a few hits strung together like this, and the Death Stalker was no exception. With one last feeble roar it dissipated as the women watched from a perch on a nearby tree.

"You were a tad late on that first entrance," Summer said, checking her weapon... though Raven could hear the smirk on her face.

"I know, I know..." Raven smiled. "But it could be worse, we could be... those guys..." she said, pointing up to the northern sky where Qrow and Tai were bringing down a flying Nevermore in a showy, violent, somewhat out-of-control way.

"Pfft..." Summer rolled her eyes. "They make it look dangerous on purpose, you know. They're doing it to show off as much as anything."

"Doesn't mean they won't hurt themselves by accident." She sighed and stood up. "Excuse me a moment..."

Three moments was all it took, actually: one to create the portal to Qrow, another to strike at the beast, which had been entirely focused on fighting two opponents, not three, and a last moment to portal them all back to the ground safe and sound as the Nevermore crashed screeching behind them.

Summer was waiting as they came through, clapping and whistling. Then she suddenly turned and started headed south, towards the checkpoint. "Raven and I got ours done first," she called over her shoulder. "So dinner's on you guys tonight!"


	5. Evening

Ozpin wasn't waiting at the town gate as they arrived, the sky just starting to turn bronze behind them. But he was sitting on the porch of the town pub, looking in their direction, cane leaning on the banister beside him, as they passed through the gate.

"Well done," he said as they sat down at the table, cups of sake already in front of each of them. "We thought the Nevermore and the Death Stalker together would be more formidable, but..." he sighed. "Now I see they're perhaps more suited to entrance exams rather than exit exams..."

Qrow laughed. "Only if the students are as badass as us!" He moved to down his drink, but Tai caught his arm and glanced over to Ozpin, who held up his own cup expectantly. The rest of STRQ raised their own glasses, and waited for Ozpin to make the toast.

"In case there was any doubt, you have passed your final test without blemish, and your worth as Huntsmen has been proven without question. You have done your school proud, and I have no doubt you will continue to do so. Thus, the honor falls to me to provide you with these licenses, and your first bounty for a day's work well done. Salut, Team STRQ!"

"Salut!" They chorused, and drank simultaneously. The liquor was rich and warm, but not enough of a distraction to stop her from immediately reaching for the laminated ID card and the money Ozpin had just tossed her way on the table. The ID was not radically different from any other kind of official documentation - indeed, she was pretty sure they'd just taken her school ID photo for it. But the word "Huntress" was bold and unmistakable at the top of the card, and that was all that mattered.

Or so she thought, until she started to look at the cash.

"This is enough to by a car! A really GOOD car!" Qrow exclaimed, counting and recounting his pile. They all looked up at Ozpin, who stood with his cane, ready to leave the table, and smiled slightly.

"We do not make a habit of announcing this beforehand, but there is a special bonus paid out to the top team at the end of each year; not so much a flat fee as a multiplier for whatever their bounty is off of their final exam. And your recent bounty was quite high, given the number of Grimm we drew to your target area. So while the initial amount may be unexpected, I doubt it will be the last such fee your team earns... should you choose to stay together."

He turned and gestured towards the town gate, where other groups of Huntsmen were entering and heading towards the pub. "You were the last Beacon team this year to take your final exam, so we have taken the liberty of inviting the other successful teams here for a small celebration. Here are teams GRNT, AMTH and PERL; I think you will find there are one or two stragglers as well. Huntsman Xiao Long, a word, if I may?" He nodded to the rest of the team. "Enjoy your evening."


	6. Tai

The school had rented out the entirety of the pub, and soon nearly thirty Huntsmen were shoveling down canapes and drinking freely from the open bar. Certainly that's where Qrow had found himself, holding court with a beer in one hand, Summer clinging to his other arm, and a circle of admirers listening to him tell war stories.

Raven nursed her own drink and made the rounds with the other graduates; she didn't feel particularly close to any of them, but had maintained good relations over the years (if only to better understand what they might be like as opponents, someday.)

So she was merely expecting to make more polite chitchat when she turned and found Tai leaning on the wall next to her, grinning, his hair covering eyes. "Let's talk," he said, nodding towards the deserted porch.

Outside it had begun to rain, and nothing was visible except for a thousand raindrops catching briefly in the streetlights, over and over. Raven leaned against the rail and stretched her neck and body out to briefly feel the water on her face, then leaned back, waiting for Tai to speak.

"I don't think I've said recently how much you tie this team together. With your semblance, y'know, in combat, but in other ways too."

"Oh?"

"Well, yeah," he said, stepping closer. "You and Summer are nearly joined at the hip. Qrow's my best friend, but he still looks to you half the time when I give him an order. And I..."

"You?"

"I'm kinda crazy about you, you know. Half of what I do out there, I'm just trying to impress you..."

"I'd be more impressed if you didn't come so close to dying half the time," she said, as he stood close to her and put his arms around her waist.

"Are you at least a little impressed, though?"

Looking away, she shrugged, smiled, then looked him in the eyes and accepted the inevitable kiss.

Marriages were arranged in the Branwen tribe, so Raven had no romantic notions that she'd be swept off her feet by a man. In fact, growing up listening to the older women complain about their husbands, she'd come to expect that men were to be tolerated as much as anything - truer relationships seemed to happen between women, rather than between the sexes. (Though Grandmother was clear - graphically, painfully clear - that such things shouldn't go too far.)

From that perspective, Tai was more acceptable than most men; she had no intentions of humoring him for longer than her time at Beacon, but he wasn't obnoxious, abusive, or repulsive, which made him a better man than most of the tribe. Physically he was fine. That was the perfect description for him, actually: she'd heard enough other Beacon girls lusting after him, often by saying "he's SO fine." But for her he was simply... fine. Kissing him, being held by him wasn't unpleasant - not much better or worse than sparring practice, really.

So... tolerable. Or it would have been, if it hadn't been for Summer.

She'd been fine setting up bunk beds in their room as new students, at Summer's request. She'd curtained the lower bed off, had looked forward to having a little area of privacy all to herself... but only a few days into their first year, Summer had started sitting down beside her as she lay in bed, which turned to laying together, which turned to cuddling and endless discussions. (Mostly it was Summer talking, but Raven found herself an avid listener... to Summer, if no one else.)

She'd initially told herself she tolerated it to gain Summer's trust, and truthfully she'd have had to be fairly forceful to reject the girl. Their beds were wedged into a corner, but Summer was agile enough at night to roll off her top bunk and wedge herself between Raven and the wall without touching the ground. Indeed, some mornings Raven woke up to find Summer unexpectedly spooned around her like a particularly cute blanket.

And if that's all it had been, it would have been fine. It wasn't even clear to Raven when the line had been irrevocably crossed. Summer giving her a quick peck on the cheek goodnight turned into quick smacks on the lips, which turned into longer kisses which turned into make out sessions (usually after drunken victory celebrations) which turned into touching into groping and, on a handful of memorable occasions, waves of pleasure that left Raven trembling while Summer looked on with affection and a bit of amusement.

What Summer didn't see was late at night, after she'd fallen asleep and Raven stayed awake, crying so hard she thought her shaking might rouse the other girl. She didn't see Raven tentatively reaching towards her face, holding her fingers just a millimeter away from her cheek, close enough to feel warmth but never close enough to actually wake her up and tell her everything, what her Grandmother wanted her to do but what she never could now that Summer knew how she felt and perhaps, Gods willing, felt the same way?

But through it all, Summer just saw them as best friends, with the occasional benefit.

It was heaven and hell all at once; sometimes she felt like screaming aloud at her Grandmother that Grimm were already chewing at her perverted heart NOW, so what difference could the afterlife make?

And Tai's tolerable kisses were a bitter mockery of what she should be doing, and the person she should be with.

After a minute or so of increasing passion on Tai's part (and did her own heart beat a little faster? No, it did not...) he took a step back. "I... there's some stuff I want to talk to you about."

She took advantage of the break to lift herself up and sit on the porch railing. "I'm listening."

"So, yeah, Ozpin... he's officially impressed. With us. STRQ. Everything we've done. He's told me some stuff about... everything, and he wants us to be part of some stuff he's doing. And it's all fascinating and incredibly cool and I'm gonna let him explain it, but one of the most important things is that he's promised us more money if we work for him. Like, the kind of money we got today, every few weeks, without us even working as freelancers."

She smiled slightly. "That's nice, but... you know Qrow and I aren't in this for the money. We're going back to the tribe now that we've graduated..."

"I know, I know," he cut in. "Except... I'm really hoping you don't. Partially because Ozpin pitched the work as a package deal, with all of STRQ working together or nothing. And partially because even if we don't work for Ozpin, we're an amazing team and it'd be a shame for us to break up. And partially... mostly... because I'm kind of crazy about you and I don't want you to go, and that's where this next thing comes in..."

He reached inside his vest and pulled out a printed photo of a large house, surrounded by trees. Handing it to her, he continued. "So I... kind of had an idea that the payoff from this mission would be pretty big. And I talked to Summer about it and we went and borrowed some money and put a down payment on... that. A house. A really great house that could be ours, all of Team STRQ's, if you guys will stay. I mean, you'd stay with me, but also with Summer, and Qrow, and if you need to go back to the tribe for a bit to settle things and explain I get it, but we've had an education together and now I want us to have a life, you know?"

He'd been looking down and away from her for most of his speech, but at these last words looked up and his blue eyes caught in the light from outside and despite herself, she was touched, everything else between them falling away leaving only a moment of genuine affection for a friend.

"I... it's a big ask, Tai."

"I know!" He almost jumped up, seemingly thrilled with the lack of an outright refusal. "I know. And it's complicated, and you need to talk with Qrow about it, and you should talk with Summer too, to hear her side of things and..."

He reached forward, kissed her quickly on the lips, and stepped back. "Look, I'm gonna give you space. But think on it. Look at the picture, ask Summer about the details about the house, and... just don't throw this away so quick, ok?"

And within moments he was gone, leaving her looking down at the photo while the rain poured down outside.


	7. Summer

She found herself wandering back to the bar, which was largely deserted with the exception of a few couples and groups talking quietly around low-lit tables. She kept walking through to the back of the pub, where broad, shallow stairs led out to a wide yard of more tables and chairs, some raised on platforms, all giving a good view of a central clearing that Huntsmen were ringed around, largely out of the rain.

In the middle of the clearing Qrow and another fighter were engaging in the stupid, dangerous, yet perennially popular sport of drunken sparring. Fighters who were wasted on booze or drugs had been known to lose focus and drop their Auras momentarily, which meant strikes that would usually be merely draining could maim or kill.

And Qrow seemed to be drunk one day out of three, these days. Still, he fought, and was good at it; as she pushed forward she could see he'd already beaten two other Huntsmen and was at work on his third. The crowd noise rose and fell as he executed particularly good dodges, feints, and strikes.

She saw Summer towards the front of the ring, watching avidly and exchanging remarks with friends on the match, but as soon as Summer caught her eye she broke off and moved towards Raven, who had taken up a perch on a distant platform.

"Hey."

"Hey. How did this start?" Raven asked, nodding toward the fighting.

Summer laughed. "He was talking about some move that he and Tai used to take down the Nevermore, somebody didn't think it was possible and he went out here to show them it was. And things just developed from there." Seeing the look on Raven's face, she added, "He's not actually that drunk, for what it's worth. Just still excited from this afternoon."

"And aaaanyway," she said, jumping up to sit next to Raven and wrapping her arms around the taller woman's waist, "I'm guessing you talked to Tai? And he told you some interesting things?"

Raven sighed, reached back to put an arm around Summer, but stayed silent for a moment before speaking. "It's... it's an attractive idea, but you know Qrow and I are supposed to go back to the tribe. The only reason they let us come here in the first place was to go back and share what we learned..."

"I know, I know. But... they could send other kids, couldn't they? You guys have turned out so great, they'd want to send more, right?"

Raven scoffed. "Not sure they'd see it that way. My Grandmother in particular..."

"Then she's an idiot!" Summer said sharply, then looked up at Raven and looked back down again. "Sorry, that was out of line. I've never met the woman or anything. But..." she sighed and buried her face in Raven's side before continuing.

"That's part of why I'd really want you guys to do this, you know. I mean, you HAVE grandparents. Tai and I... we don't. Or parents, or brothers and sisters. Part of that's because of the war, and part of that's because our families have had a lot of Huntsmen in them. And it's a great life, but... it can be a really short one, too. You remember what Professor Port said, way back in first year? Average lifespan of a Huntsman, once they get their license, is seven years. A Huntsman has the same chance of making it to their forties as a civilian has of making it to their eighties."

"And as for kids... Gods, most Huntsmen are lucky to have just one before something happens to them, you know? And what happens to that kid when one or both parents get killed? It's just such a scary fucking world out there. I mean... you know I love you, and I love Qrow, and in a lot of ways living together would be like a nonstop party, and that'd be great. But what I really want is to take care of you, because I figure that we're stronger together than apart, and maybe we can keep each other from becoming one of Port's statistics. And if something does... does happen to us..." she paused again, and squeezed Raven, "Then at least there'll be more than just one or two people to keep things going. STRQ can continue, even if one of us goes down."

They sat together for a minute, not saying anything. In the distance a roar from the clearing indicated Qrow was successful once more, but neither of them looked up. Finally, Raven reached over to stroke Summer's hair and kiss her on the top of the head.

"That's kind of what the tribe is all about, you know? It's a lot tougher out there, outside of the Kingdoms, and we take care of each other and we get by. Believe it or not, it's harder out there than it is being a Huntsman, but that's why they wanted us here, and they want us to come back now."

She felt, rather than saw, Summer nod her head against her side. "Yeah... you've already got a family to take care of, maybe it's too much to ask to start a new one..."

Raven nodded, then shook her head. "Yes... but no... I mean, yes the tribe is my family, and yes I want to support them, pay them back for what they let us do here. But you guys are the family I want to choose, the family I want to make, not the one I got stuck with..."

Summer pulled back, and looked Raven in the eyes. "You know... you and Qrow... you know I'd follow you anywhere. If... if there was a way for me to be part of the tribe, you know I'd take it, and Taiyang too, you've been in our world long enough, maybe it's time..."

Raven barked laughter, then crushed Summer tight against her, partially hiding the tears that had come to her eyes. "Oh Gods no, Summer. You in the tribe, it... you'd hate it, and they'd REALLY hate you. The amount of independence you have relative to what they're used to, it... no. No way."

She released Summer and dried her eyes. "But you'd really do it, wouldn't you? You'd come with me and live in that shitty situation just to support me and that's why it's so damn hard to say no to you and Tai, because you're the first people, outside of Qrow, that have ever supported me for ME and not just for what I can do for the tribe."

"Always, Raven. You know that."

"I know it, I do." She sniffed, and gave Summer another crushing hug. "Let me talk to Qrow. In the meantime, just know... if it were only up to me, I'd do it in a heartbeat."


	8. Qrow

up had cleared by the time she made it down to the clearing, leaving Qrow standing alone, practicing his katas in the downpour. As she got closer, she realized Summer had been very wrong - Qrow was VERY drunk, as drunk as she'd ever seen him. Gods only knew how he was standing up, let alone moving through the practice forms with such precision... and then he turned, and she saw the look on his face, and knew there was enough rage and despair to overpower nearly any amount of alcohol.

He spoke first.

"So they told you, right? They bought us a Gods. Damned. House!" He punctuated each word with slicing cuts through the air, briefly scattering the raindrops as he did. "Looks nice, too! Way better than those camps we grew up in! And we're gonna give it up and go basically become killers and robbers and assassins for hire to make Grandmother happy, for the good of the tribe, right?" He halted his kata, and stood there, swaying. "At least they're still alive. And at least we had one more good day together."

"I don't want to leave either, Qrow," she said softly.

"THEN DON'T!" He screamed, practically sobbed, lashing out with his sword so that the point came to rest inches from her throat. She swallowed, and looked around, relieved to see that everyone, including Summer, had gone back inside, and that they were entirely alone.

"Play it out," she said, again keeping her voice low. "We don't go back, they send people after us."

"Nobody in the tribe's as good as us, let alone STRQ as a whole. We'd kick their asses."

"Probably, although I'm not sure how much stomach Summer and Tai have for killing actual people, instead of just Grimm. But fine. Then Grandmother comes to get us, and I don't know how to handle that."

"She's just an old woman, Raven..." Qrow began.

"I have never in my life been able to disobey her," Raven interrupted. "Even today, not taking them out, that's been part of me rationalizing that we were just going to do it at a different, better time. Gods, I'd rather not go there just so I don't have to tell her what I failed to do..."

"Then don't!"

"But then she comes here. And she's cruel, and says horrible things about us to Tai and Summer..."

"They won't..."

"And she tells them what we were supposed to do. To them. To other Huntsmen. And maybe they don't believe her, or maybe they accept that we changed our minds, but what if she tells other Huntsmen? What if she tells Ozpin? At the very least, this deal Tai's counting on, that'll fall through, and I have no idea what else Ozpin might do if we stay..."

Now Qrow was silent, swaying slightly.

"Well? You had all the answers a minute ago, what now, Qrow?"

Qrow said nothing for a few seconds, still rocking back and forth, before mumbling. "I've... I've just got this headache, Raven..."

She turned away from him, towards the bar.

"Me too, little brother."

She made it three steps before he called out to her. "NOIR!"

"What?"

"Team NOIR. What happened to them, three months ago. There was an exercise that went bad, Nico and Robin didn't make it back. You can... you can tell Grandmother that was us. We did that. And that we have this... opportunity... to work for Ozpin who's like this... HEAD Huntsman, and we can find out a lot more if she lets us stay on."

She turned back to him and thought for a while, head down. Finally she spoke again. "She might buy that, about NOIR. Letting us stay, I don't know..."

"You... you can turn the tables on her if she has a problem with it. Threaten her. Tell her we'll work WITH Ozpin to help track down the tribe if she doesn't let us stay here. Stand up for yourself for once."

She gripped her weapon at the very thought of pushing back against her Grandmother... but there was a lot to like about Qrow's idea. He was right, the power was hers if she'd just TAKE it, for once...

"We'd have to go back and tell her in person. We might have to fight our way out if it goes bad. Are you ready for that?"

Qrow barked laughter, spat and hoisted his weapon on his shoulder. "You ever have to ask if I'm up for a fight, Raven?"

She looked at him for a while, nearly a minute, standing there nearly fall-down drunk but ready to turn his back on everything they'd known for... what? She wasn't even sure he knew what kind of better life he was chasing, or what she wanted herself. But maybe where they were leaving was bad enough that the destination didn't matter, only the existence of an escape route.

She nodded. "Ok. If you're with me... if you're all pushing for this so hard... then we'll do it. For the team."

She wheeled around and started to stride back to the pub, already calling out for Tai and Summer.

But behind her she heard Qrow mumble, low enough she was sure he was just talking to himself, though unfortunately not quiet enough for her to miss it. "Yeah, but... everything I touch goes to hell, doesn't it?"

She broke her stride for just a moment, but resisted the urge to look back and redoubled her steps, bursting through the door to the bar area, where Tai and Summer were talking softly, heads together. They looked up as she entered.

"We're in."


	9. Author's Notes

So, yeah... wanted to write something that would trace STRQ's downfall, and I figured I'd do it by having every single member of the team in love with someone chasing someone else. Also, I really enjoy what they've done with Raven in canon, but wanted to dig a little deeper. This first bit is about a third of what the overall work will be. Reviews and feedback appreciated going forward!


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